It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, which also means it’s Unions Week. Whatever your relationship status, you can still show your endless love for your trade union.
Besides me shamelessly trying to fit a few love puns and song titles into this blog, you’ll find here my message about how important unions are to me, to everyone’s working lives and to the whole of society.
I’ve spent my whole working life in the trade union movement, because I know that trade unions make life better for working people. Unions help boost pay by up to £60,000 over a working life, while workers in unionised workplaces also have better pensions and much safer workplaces.
On any given day, there could be a new reason why someone needs their trade union. It might be for a national pay deal, a local re-banding claim, for better protections in the workplace, as during COVID, or for support with a grievance or disciplinary.
Trade unions will always be needed, and right now that need is growing stronger every day that this Westminster government stays in power. As long as the Tories are in Parliament, working people’s lives and living standards are being hammered. It’s been so clear in their attacks on workers’ rights and trade union rights that they don’t have workers’ best interests at heart.
Getting to meet so many of our members and activists is the best part of being general secretary. And I’m proud that UNISON gives public service workers a union for life – from school uniform grants, representation for student nurses and our young members’ forum, right through to our support for retired members.
So, this Unions Week, remember that UNISON loves you just the way you are. And why not take the opportunity this week to show your love for UNISON, by telling more of your friends and work colleagues all the good reasons to join us.
The article Blog: Give your ❤️ to our unions first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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